Clark Woman’s Death Was a Homicide, Says Prosecutor

The death of an elderly woman whose body was found in her northern New Jersey home last weekend has been ruled a homicide.

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Union County Prosecutor Theodore Romankow said Monday that 73-year-old Vera Pecoraro of Clark apparently was targeted by her assailant, though a motive for the slaying has not been determined.

Romankow said there were no signs of forced entry at the home, and it's not believed that the killing was a random act.

Romankow said an autopsy determined that Pecoraro, who suffered knife wounds, likely died sometime Friday. One of her adult sons found the body in the home's living room shortly before 7 p.m. Saturday night.

Neighbors say Pecoraro was a widow who lived alone. They described her as friendly, sociable and active.